Recent content by floyd336

Here's an update on the Mezza Luna. I have opened several bottles now during the Holidays and given several away. This is a very nice semi-sweet white wine, and it is also sparkling. It's a very small amount of bubbles, but it was definitely fermenting at the end there in April.

I should have noted also to boil 5 minutes after the last tip addition.

I just made a pretty good spruce tip ale. I picked the spruce tips from my backyard when they were very young and froze them until I was ready to brew. Boil 1 1/2 gallons water. Add 1 oz of tips, 1/2 oz 10 AA hops, and a 3.3 can of light LME to the boil. At 30 minutes, add another 1 oz...

This version came out pretty good. It is rich tasting. The GI is less prominent though - a sourness that seems to complement the fruitiness of the cascade hops I used. The sour bitterness is also somewhat overtaken by the sweetness. I think a little less sugar might be my next adjustment.

Here's my new Ground Ivy Ale recipe: Gather a collander of Ground Ivy, about 4 oz fresh. Boil 1 gallon water Add 3.3 # light LME + 1 # corn sugar Boil, add 1 oz 5.0 AA cascades Boil 15 minutes, then remove the hops to control bitterness. While waiting for the boil, process the ground...

After refrigerating some, I like this Ground Ivy Ale better. It's not bad for summer.

I made about 5 cups of tea with a collander full of fresh ground ivy - probably about 1/2 gallon and added it to the wort to make a 2-gallon batch. The beer is kind of thin. The OG was only 1.040, but it did ferment down to 1.006. I overdid the hops, adding a full oz for bittering. I thought...

I used 1/4 cup sugar per gallon, and less than 1 tbsp salt per gallon. I have to say though, the unsweetened, unsalted wine is so delicious I still can't believe it. It has a subtle sweetness to it that is just right.

The ground ivy is beginning to grow like crazy here in Pennsylvania. I tried making a ground ivy ale last year and something went seriously wrong. It tasted awful. Very sour. I gathered the ground ivy and dried it. Then I brewed a 1 gallon batch of basic beer using DME golden light and...

I don't know what Belgian Strong Malt is either. That was the label on the bag. I threw the bag away after I made my notes, so I can't even look at it again now. It looked light in color, like some cara pils that I've used, if that means anything.

The bubbles seems to have slowed again. I may just give it a few weeks then bottle it.

I skipped that reading, thinking it was meaningless, I guess. Whoops.

Here's an update. I took another gravity reading and this time it is at .999. Now, I added an F-Pack at the end of this wine. What is an F-Pack exactly? Is it fermentable? Could a few strong yeast be feeding on it? This wine is actually tasting pretty good. I love taking gravity readings.

Interesting. It sounds like I'm missing on several key points. First, I just cooked the rice, but did not let it turn to goo. Second, I apparently overestimated the conversion power of that amount of malt, and I guess I'm not letting it sit long enough either. Thanks for all the advice.

The bubbles are coming up out of the yeast on the bottom of the carboy. There are just a few, but still enough to form a partial ring in the neck of the carboy.